diatoms | Marine Biological Association

MBA’s Professor Colin Brownlee to give the 39th Annual Plymouth Marine Science Education Foundation (PlyMSEF) Medal Lecture

Oct 23, 2026 by Amy Schofield

The PlyMSEF Medal Lecture is a prestigious annual event celebrating significant contributions to marine science. It provides an opportunity to hear from leading researchers and celebrate Plymouth’s internationally recognised marine science community. Date: Wednesday 11 November 2026 Time: 6:15–8:00 pm Speaker: Professor Colin Brownlee, Marine Biological Association. This year’s lecture is titled Animal, vegetable and … Read more

New study reveals how tiny marine algae survive phosphorus starvation

Apr 9, 2026 by Amy Schofield

Scientists at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the University of Exeter have uncovered a key mechanism that helps diatoms – the microscopic algae that underpin marine food webs – survive when one of life’s essential nutrients runs low.

Pioneering single-cell microelectrode study reveals how diatoms rapidly adapt carbon uptake

Jan 13, 2026 by Amy Schofield

Scientists at the Marine Biological Association have used a pioneering technological approach in individual diatom cells to uncover how these microscopic ocean organisms rapidly adjust their carbon uptake strategies to cope with changing conditions in the ocean.

Diatoms reveal survival strategy under nutrient co-limitation

Aug 29, 2025 by Amy Schofield

Scientists at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the University of Exeter have discovered how tiny photosynthetic microbes known as phytoplankton prioritise resource use when nutrients are scarce, in a breakthrough that could reshape our understanding of the impacts of nutrient limitation on these important organisms, which form the base of marine food webs.

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